Australian gamblers have apparently decided to rule out the Melbourne Cup. The reason for this is that most Australians profess to have little or no interest in what was once upon a time a legendary race, aka “race that stops the nation.”
Essential poll:
In compliance with the information provided in the newest Essential survey of 1,049 respondents, only 11% said they had a “high interest” in the aforementioned Melbourne Cup, which has fallen sharply by 5 points since the last time the question was asked, aka prior to the last year’s race.
On a related note, regardless of the aforementioned Cup being a widespread public holiday in Victoria that causes workplaces and schools to close at 3 PM each year, 27% of respondents said they were somewhat interested and 35% said that they had “no interest” in the iconic race, which totaled 62%. Nearly a quarter, aka 24% stated they had “moderate interest,” a drop of 7 points, and finally an additional 3% stated they “don’t know.”
Furthermore, men expressed more interest than women. This is supported by the fact that 13% of men expressed the mentioned “high interest” and only 9% of women.
Disengagement of young people:
As for young individuals, those between the ages of 18 and 34 showed great interest, in contrast to those older than 55, of whom only 13% expressed interest. Additionally, nearly two-fifths of the citizens of Australia commented that they would “bet on the race,” involving 13% who constantly wager on the Cup and the horses, a drop of 5 points. Then there is another 26% who hardly ever place wagers on horses, but usually do so when there are some huge racing event, a drop of 3 points.
Next, 20%, aka one-fifth, will only observe the race without actually wagering on it, and 41%, aka two-fifths, aren’t at all interested and won’t bother to bet on it at all. Among bettors, men were a constant, while women were not. Additionally, 19% of men state: “We bet regularly on horses and will bet on the Cup,” while just 8% of women will do so.
People between the ages of 18 to 34, who fall into the category of young individuals, have expressed an interest in wagering, with 31% hardly ever showing interest in betting but betting when a major racing event occurs, and 12% constantly wagering on horses.
Although they didn’t show much personal interest, 65% of respondents said “the Melbourne Cup is a unique part of Australia’s national identity, down seven points.” However, only 50% of the mentioned young people confirmed the said statement. The rest, aka 48%, commented that the Cup supports “unhealthy gambling behavior.” Then, over36%, aka a third, stated it “normalizes animal cruelty,” a growth of 2 points compared to last year.
As the Guardian reports, the primary reason for this data is that an increasing number of sponsors and brands are separating themselves from the Melbourne Cup and a number of other racing-related events.